Romance of the Two Kingdoms
by Princess Vera
Summary: Princess Sakura's mission: find the Clow Cards. Prince Syaoran's mission: kidnap Princess Sakura. What will happen when the two meet, not knowing the other's identity...? New name, new updates!
1. Prologue

Prologue: Ember  
  
The moon had risen high in the sky by the time Sakura managed to scale down the castle wall without scraping herself too badly, lugging a large bag behind her. She wasn't used to the cold yet - though she knew she wouldn't freeze, unless it rained.   
  
She stood looking up the wall, unable to see where her window was, and shivered. It was hard to believe that she'd climbed down all that way, but since it was dark the fear of falling had been less obvious. It wasn't that she was particularly scared of heights to begin with - it was just that she had never climbed down from one before, even a tree.  
  
Longingly, she stared in the vague direction of her parents' chambers, letting out a sigh. They wouldn't know their precious daughter was gone until halfway through the day - she didn't let maids in, and often didn't come out of her room until noon. Mostly her mother attributed this to her daughter's need of beauty sleep. After all, Princess Sakura was a famed beauty, known for her vivid green eyes, delicate skin, and graceful coordination.   
  
The eighteen-year-old girl sighed, turning away from the expanse of grey wall. She was homesick already, but not about to admit it even to herself. There was a city and a country waiting for her - and more importantly, a set of Clow Cards on the rampage.  
  
* * * *  
  
Syaoran always wandered the streets at night, on principle. So far he hadn't had a chance to see the inside of the castle - they rarely let commoners or soldiers in, only the royal guard and the deluge of nobles that poured in and out of the city daily.   
  
The princess wasn't allowed outside the castle, as far as he knew. None of the commoners had ever seen her, despite that they all seemed to know what she looked like. Typical sounding, this princess. Green eyes and medium-length brown hair, short, slender, pale delicate skin, and the grace of a dancer.   
  
This is my rite of passage, he thought, my rite of passage to become king of the Li Kingdom. To find that princess and kidnap her, to force the Kinomoto kingdom into a treaty.  
  
Syaoran couldn't care less about this princess. It was not she he was after. No, he was after the Clow Cards, which were loose within this kingdom. Some idiot had found the sealed book - the book that belonged rightfully to the Li family! and let the cards fly away. But if he could get his hands on the Cards, he could become the most powerful king ever to rule the Li Kingdom. Perhaps if he kidnapped this princess, then, he would rule over the Kinomoto and the Li Kingdoms.  
  
"I will find that princess," he muttered, ignoring the strange look a passerby gave him. It wasn't as if they could see his face, see who said those words. They would forget about a stranger walking in the dark by morning.   
  
His hand caressed the sword strapped at his side. 


	2. Part I:1: Meeting

OOC: It's been quite some time (a few years) since I updated it -- hopefully I can still gain a few readers! Here, finally, is chapter 1.

* * *

Chapter 1: The First Meeting

Sakura tried to keep to the alleyways. The city was dark and foreboding, the streets abandoned. Since she had left, it had become even colder. The moon played hide-and-seek with the clouds, casting the buildings in near-complete darkness.

Since that first time looking up at the walls, she hadn't looked back. It was too hard to look back, too hard to think of the family she was leaving. But it was necessary. The Clow Cards were ravaging the kingdom, and Sakura was the only one who could stop them.

----

The night was cold and lonely, so dark that Syaoran could not help but be lost in his thoughts. He wanted to find the Clow Cards, to go out into the world and seek the fortune and power of capturing them. Yet he had been sent to do a different task. There was no glory in capturing Princess Sakura, merely what he knew would be an arranged wedding.

The sound of footsteps in a nearby alley interrupted his thoughts. He drew back against the nearest house and stood, not breathing, hand on the hilt of his sword. The moon came out from behind the clouds again, bathing his alley in moonlight.

He heard the sound of the footsteps drawing nearer. They sounded light, delicate, not like the heavy boots of a guard or the coarse boots of a farmer. No, it was a woman, walking alone in the dark. Syaoran relaxed, thinking scornfully of the kind of woman that walked alone at night. Still, he drew himself even closer to the wall.

A shadow fell across the alley as a figure turned the corner. From his vantage point he could clearly see that it was a woman, cloaked to hide her face. She looked around furtively, but did not spot him, and began walking down the alley.

What sort of woman had to sneak around at night? He wondered. Was she escaping from something? He watched her steps. Her toes were pointed in a little, and she took small steps. The steps of a noblewoman.

Syaoran held his breath. She walked upright, without hesitation; she was young. He could not see her face, but she carried a tall staff and a traveling pack with her. If he had to guess, she was trying to leave town.

He smiled slightly. Here was his chance. Luck was on his side; this woman would be a valuable source of information. How to find the Princess, and what she looked like... those were things that Syaoran needed to know. His job had become a lot easier. The sooner he could find the Clow Cards, the better.

As she walked by him, he jumped out suddenly, without drawing his sword, and grabbed her – first her arm, to pull her in, then a hand on her mouth, so she couldn't scream.

She fought him, her staff pinned between his arms and her chest, feet kicking wildly, to no avail.

"Don't move," he said menacing into her ear. "If you value your life."


	3. Part I:2: Hiding

OOC: Sorry it took so long to update. As an apology, here is a somewhat-longer-than-usual chapter.

* * *

Sakura froze at the feel of metal against her neck. She swallowed, unable to speak, and did not resist. Never before had she been in a situation like this: always before, her father's guards had been with her... 

Her captor led her through the alleyways, walking sure-footedly, as if he knew where he was going. It was so dark that she could barely see the outlines of the houses around them. She walked in front of him, the blade to her throat, swallowing back her fear. How could she get away? Sakura was a princess. She had never learned how to fight.

They walked on for what she guessed was at least twenty or thirty minutes. She thought that they might be heading to the outskirts of the city, but she couldn't be sure; she didn't dare look up. With each passing moment, her fear grew:he could be a bounty hunter, from some distant rich kingdom – the Li kingdom, perhaps – sent to kill her. Or he could be one of her father's own guards, whom she had unfortunately run into. Or just a common criminal, who wanted...

She shuddered. The moment he took the sword away from her neck – even if it were just for a moment – she would have to take a chance, and run.

He walked so quietly behind her that she couldn't hear his footsteps. Only the occasional feeling of cold metal against her skin let her know that he was still there.

The moon came out from behind the clouds again. She could finally see in front of her. They were near the crumbling outer wall of the oldest part of the city. Somehow, while the moon had hidden behind the clouds, they had walked all the way to the abandoned slums of the city. Long ago, in some war, the walls had been torn down in this part of the city, and the houses had been ransacked and burned. Now, the whole area was just a shell – empty, echoing with the footsteps of rats, unprotected by the broken walls.

Sneaking out through the walls would be a perfect idea, Sakura knew... except for the fact that her father had guard posts stationed all along the outer edge of the wall and guards patrolling the abandoned city, waiting to catch someone sneaking in or out. How was he planning to leave this way? There were easier ways...

----

Syaoran led his prisoner through the alleys, making his way back to the broken-down section of the city, where he'd crept in. It was no problem for him to get in and out. He could let the woman go there, and she'd wander into some soldiers soon enough and be led back home, wherever that was.

Still, what was a Kinomoto noble doing, trying to sneak out in the middle of the night? He could only think of a few reasons: she could be a traitor – an informant – perhaps one of his fathers? Or perhaps a courtesan, fallen out of favor, or even just a young girl who wanted to run away from home. Inwardly, he shook his head. There were too many questions. He would get the answers out of her eventually. He hadn't taken the risk of revealing himself for nothing. Any noble would know many useful things about the Kinomoto castle and Princess Sakura.

Princess Sakura. She was a problem. He had to kidnap her, and take her out of the city. The only problem was, he couldn't tie her up and throw her in a sack. Nor would she consent to simply walk out of the city with him, much less the castle. No, he had to find a way into the castle, and trick her. Perhaps pass himself off as a soldier... He cursed under his breath. Why was he on such a foolish mission, anyhow?

----

_Young Syaoran looked around the hallway before pressing his ear against the keyhole. He listened to his father, King Li, speak to his advisers. They were gathered for a meeting so secret that even most of the nobles in the Li Kingdom did not know; so of course, Syaoran wanted to know more than ever what was going on..._

"_... the ability has been lost in the Kinomoto kingdom for many years," his father said with disgust. "Because they do not breed within the royal line, their power is lost. But as their luck would have it, this girl was born with the mark of the Kinomoto line of magic. The mark of -"_

_Syaoran leaned forward, pressing eagerly against the door, trying to hear more. Yet his luck was not so good; his foot slipped, and he grabbed the handle of the door, trying to keep his balance._

_It had not been locked._

_Syaoran tumbled into the room. He rolled to his feet clumsily, trying to back out in a panic, but his father merely smiled. The advisers looked startled; they had not noticed him at the door. Syaoran wondered, staring up at his father's face, if the king had known all along._

"_Listening at the door again? I suppose you should be one to hear this as well." And then he closed the door again, this time locking it, and spoke as if nothing had happened. _

"_The Kinomoto princess is the only heir to the power of the Kinomoto family. The only person alive who can possibly -" Here his father stopped, pausing to give Syaoran a proud glance. " - match the power of the Li family."_

_He continued, his voice rising with excitement. "The girl has no one to teach her. No magic users have been born into the family for many years. If we can get our hands on her, and breed her into the Li family..."_

_----_

His father wanted to have the power of the Kinomoto and Li lines linked together. He wanted the Li Kingdom to be more powerful than ever – powerful enough to take over the Kinomoto kingdom.

Syaoran had been much younger then. It had been ten years already – ten years since he had first found out about the existence of another magic user as himself – another person with the ability to catch the cards.

He frowned. In the crucial moment in which he had fallen into the room, he had not heard his father say it: what was the mark of the Kinomoto family?

The woman he had captured shifted underneath the blade. He jerked back to attention, surprised at how easily he had fallen into reminiscing. Someone was coming. Quite a few someones. He pulled her into the shadows with him, as closely as he could, smiling grimly at the familiar situation.

"Do not say anything," he said quietly, with as much menace as he could invoke with a whisper, taking the blade away from her neck to hide it beneath his cloak. Surprisingly, she pressed herself as much into the shadows as he did.

A few moments later, he identified the sound that was approaching them. Soldiers. There were at least five or six of them, and they were about to pass through the same alley that he and his captive were hiding in.

----

Sakura relaxed a little as he took the blade away from her neck. They hid in the shadows of one of the derelict buildings together, both of them silent.

She already knew who was coming: the Kinomoto family's guards. Had they discovered that she had left? It wouldn't be surprising. But Sakura would have been out of the city by now, had it not been for the man who had caught her...

She closed her eyes a minute, thinking hard. The man wasn't a soldier from the Kinomoto family, or else he would be turning her in. So he was either a criminal, or...

Suddenly she remembered what was wrong.

He had the accent -

The soldiers walked by both of them, oblivious.

-- of someone from the Li Kingdom.


	4. Part I:3: Faceoffs

OOC: The first scene might be a little confusing. If it's too hard to figure out what's going on, please tell me and I'll rewrite it...

* * *

**Chapter 3: Faceoffs**

_This is why Father didn't want Mother to take me out on walks, little Sakura thought. She shivered, crouching further back behind the corner of the broken wall. Mother did not move._

That_ man laughed._

_"You won't get away with this," Mother said bravely, holding her head high. She stood in a space just between two still-standing sections of the wall, framed on either side by the ruins. "You'll be killed before you can go far."_

_There it was; the sound of soldiers and shouting voices, coming closer. Sakura stared at Mother's skirt, which blew in the wind, and peered around the edge of the wall, made braver by the sound of her father's soldiers._

_"You won't be around to worry about it," the dark figure replied, laughing that eerie laugh. He did not spare a single glance for Sakura. "And my Li masters will no longer worry about... you."_

_He lifted his hand up. Fire and lightning crackled in his fist. Mother stood her ground, facing him. Sakura grabbed the edges of her own skirt and twisted them in her fright..._

----

Sakura shook her head violently, clearing the memory away. The accent of the Li kingdom. It was now only the second time she had heard it, but she remembered it vividly.

No. _That_ man had sounded older, his voice deep and strange, frightening to listen to. She remembered all too well... This man who had taken her captive, whoever he was, was not_ that _man. But, it was that same accent. She could not be mistaken...

"Let's go." She gasped; suddenly the blade was against her neck again, and his hand was on her arm, urging her to move. "Quickly."

She looked around as he urged her through the ruins. The guards that had just passed by them were out of sight, and there were none others in sight. Was it possible? That there was a lapse in the guard? And the man who had found her... he was no ordinary man, if he had found such a weakness.

He stopped them when they reached the broken wall, pulling her into the shadows again. This time, the shadow was deep enough to hide them well; he did not withdraw the sword from her neck. She found that she did not mind. It was strange, but... though her heart pounded faster, she was not afraid.

She heard footsteps again, and realized after a few moments that they were coming from the other side of the wall. While they hid against the inside of the wall, the guards would pass them right by. As long as they were silent... She held her breath. What did this man think of her, that she did not call out to the guards to rescue her?

The footsteps passed by once again, without a pause. Were her father's guards inept? No, it was simply impossible, she thought, to be able to cover the wall entirely at all times. But how long had this man observed the guards to be able to realize when and where to do it?

Without another word he pulled her again, out into the open, lowering the blade, and suddenly a voice echoed down from the sky.

"You there, stop!"

Sakura ran.

----

Syaoran pushed her out as soon as the coast was clear, about to sheathe his sword when he heard the shouts.

They had been seen.

The girl took off running as soon as he let go of her, away from the city. If they both got away, he would catch up to her later. But now -

He looked around quickly, taking quick stock of his surroundings, and cursed. There it had been, the fatal flaw in his plan. Two sets of guards were approaching, one from inside the city, and one from outside the city, both having heard the shout.

What Syaoran had failed to notice when sneaking into the city was that a guard had been posted on top of the broken wall -- most likely to oversee the hill that sloped downward sharply outside of the castle. Had there been a guard there during the daytime? No - it was probably less necessary...

He took off running after the girl.

Or tried to.

He choked, falling back against the wall, and gasped for breath, grabbing at his throat. His cloak had caught on the rock.

The sound of boots scrabbling against stone and feet pounding on the ground seemed to fill the air around him. He cursed, grabbing at the tail of his cloak, and tugged. It did not come free. What was it caught on? He couldn't see through the shadows.

_I'll have to cut myself free_, he thought grimly, pulling the tail end of the cloak as taut as he could.

---

Outside of the wall, the ground of the city sloped sharply down a hill. Sakura ran, propelled by gravity, until she could barely slow herself down. The sound of shouting followed her down the hill.

She looked behind her. She could see figures running toward the wall, and in the moonlight, another person climbing down the side of the wall - the one who had called out, perhaps? No one was running toward her. Had they somehow not seen her? It seemed impossible.

Her had-been captor was still there. Squinting, she could just barely see him - was he tugging at something? His cloak? She saw him reach for his neck, grasping at something there, but he could not run.

She stood there for a long moment, undecided.


	5. Part I:4: Escape

OOC: At last, an update after so long! At the rate I'm going, this story won't be finished until I'm eighty... TT Don't worry... I'll try to write it faster, with your encouragement. This chapter's short -- there will be a new one soon, though.

--

Chapter 4: Escape

Syaoran cursed under his breath and lifted the sword, tugging at the cloak all the while.

--

Sakura stood, still undecided. Hurry, hurry, she thoguht to herself, staring hard at her one-time captor. Why she wanted him to get away, she didn't know. Come loose, she willed his cloak.

--

Syaoran staggered as he brought the sword down, nearly stumbling down the hill. His cloak had come free.

One of the guards leaped at him. He dodged, then took off running downhill. The sound of the guards followed close behind him, their armor clanking in the darkness. The heavy metal they wore was to his advantage; it would slow them down.

The girl was still at the bottom of the hill, seemingly waiting for him. Was she a fool?

--

Sakura felt dizzy. As the man had pulled himself free, she'd felt a strange sensation - as if something was being pulled out of her.

Now he was running toward her. She stared at him, shaking her head to try and clear it. What was going on? She took a step back, then realized that she had a bigger problem: he was being pursued by guards. And if the guards found her...

She turned to keep running, and stumbled.

--

Syaoran was barely ten yards away when she finally turned to run. He watched in disbelief as she fell, rolling down a short way to the rest of the hill, and seemingly disappeared into the gully at the bottom.

Behind him, the guards were shouting. He ignored them, focusing on the spot where the girl had disappeared, and made a tremendous leap to clear the few yards to the gully.

When he landed, it wasn't in the gully. 


End file.
